Kimbolton 11th November 2007

A packed programme of races, a break in racing for the Remembrance Sunday two minute silence and the change in hour were all handled with aplomb as Hunts Kart Racing Club held round 9 of their 2007 championships on 11th November.

Cadet: Another treat served up by the Cadets, with the result in doubt until the last moments. Brett Wykes and James Armitage started on the front row with George Russell and Toby Sowery behind them. These four swapped places throughout the race, first one having the advantage, then another. Often the leader on one lap would find themselves in fourth the next! As the race came to a climax, Wykes went for the outside line at Kestrel and got good exit speed to pass Armitage. Armitage fought back on the run to the line but Wykes won by a nosecone, with Russell and Sowery just behind. James Ross was the first Comer novice over the line with Chad Shiner taking the Honda novice trophy. 

Junior TKM: Daniel Butcher-Lord got a good start from grid six to take an early lead ahead of Oliver Hodgson and Joe Porter. Porter was on a roll; passing Hodgson by the end of lap one and taking the lead with a determined move under braking into Stow on lap three. Controlling the pace to the line Porter ran out the winner from Hodgson and Butcher-Lord.

Rotax Mini Max/TKM Intermediate: Minimax was a bit processional with Luke Gardiner leading Jordan King all the way. These two pulled away from the rest, Gardiner always able to respond to any threat from King. Sam Ward was third having secured the place early on. In Intermediates, James Blake led Jack Kemp for the majority of the race, but Kemp came through on the last lap to win by a nosecone. Novice Robert Cross took third.

Rotax Junior Max: David Pittard was again in good form in Junior Rotax winning all three heats and the final. Once he had disposed of James Hassall, Alex Magee did his best to make life difficult for Pittard. Magee put in some quick laps to close right up with the leader and then pass on lap eight, but Pittard saw a huge gap open up at the Bus Stop, which he dived through to retake the lead, winning by less than a kart’s length. Hassall had closed up with the leading pair as they battled each other, but had to settle for third. Greg Jackson took the novice award.

TKM Extreme: After two heat wins, Randall Lynn made the most of pole position to lead comfortably at the end of lap one. Luke Herbert picked his way through the field from grid eight to take up pursuit. Joe Forsdyke was another to pick up places at the start, but front row man Paul Garner was not so lucky, dropping to mid-field. Herbert was soon challenging for the lead, but Lynn was able to respond. In a thrilling finish, Lynn won by inches as Herbert pushed hard to the line. Forsdyke secured third ahead of Scott Chaney, with Garner proving his worth, recovering to fifth and setting fastest lap in the process. Novice Stephen James finished a creditable fourteenth.

Rotax Senior 177: Lee Torrie was delighted with his lights-to-flag win, set up by a quick get away on the opening lap. Lucas Orrock took some time to pass Martin Reader so despite setting fastest lap, was unable to get close to the leader. Milan Mach moved into third, but could not keep on terms with Orrock. The novice award went to Simon Cooper.

Gearbox: A brilliant start by 250 pole man Martin Smith was the prelude to a race long dice with Ron Stamp. Stamp tried everything he could to pass, but Smith remained unruffled by this attention and took the win by 0.14 seconds. Slow off the line, James Tucker dropped to the back of the field, but gradually worked his way up to third. In 125, Stephen Lane made an electric start from the outside of the front row to lead Scott Allen with Lee Stamp into third before the end of lap one. From then on, the race for the podium positions became a procession, but Lane proved his mastery of the situation with a fastest lap that was quicker than the 250’s. Michael Hartland took the novice award.

Rotax Senior Max: Both front row men Steven Johnson and Dan Holland lost out at the start as Marc Dawson and Paul Walsh drove past. Walsh was in determined mood and passing Dawson on lap three disappeared into the distance. Holland picked up his pace as the race progressed and almost caught Dawson at the line, missing out by just four hundredths of a second.

RESULTS:
Hunts Kart Racing Club 2007 Championships Round 9
Cadet: 1 Brett Wykes (Wright), 2 James Armitage (Zip), 3 George Russell (BRM)
Cadet Novice: James Ross (Zip/Comer), Chas Shiner (TBA/Honda)   
Junior TKM: 1 Joe Porter (Tony), 2 Oliver Hodgson (Tony), 3 Daniel Butcher-Lord (JKH)
Rotax Mini Max: 1 Luke Gardiner (Tony), 2 Jordan King (Tony), 3 Sam Ward (Tony)
TKM Intermediate: 1 Jack Kemp (Venom), 2 James Blake (ARC), 3 Robert Cross (ARC)
TKM Intermediate Novice: Cross
Rotax Junior Max: 1 David Pittard (Biesse), 2 Alex Magee (Zip), 3 James Hassall (Jade)
Rotax Junior Max Novice: Greg Jackson (Wildkart)
TKM Extreme: 1 Randall Lynn (JKH), 2 Luke Herbert (JKH), 3 Joe Forsdyke (Venom)
TKM Extreme Novice: Stephen James (Tec Mec)
Rotax Senior 177: 1 Lee Torrie (Gillard), 2 Lucas Orrock (Kosmic), 3 Milan Mach (Kosmic)
Rotax Senior 177 Novice: Simon Cooper (Biesse)
250: 1 Martin Smith (Anderson/Honda), 2 Ron Stamp (Raider/Honda), 3 James Tucker (Jade/Honda)
125 ICC: 1 Steven Lane (Tony/Pavesi), 2 Scott Allen (Seven/Seven), 3 Lee Stamp (F1/TM)
125 ICC Novice: Michael Hartland (Wright/Maxter)
Rotax Senior Max: 1 Paul Walsh (Gillard), 2 Marc Dawson (Alonso) 3 Dan Holland (Kosmic)

Jonathan Needham